Adorable Flannel Hand Warmers and Cold Packs Too! + Video

So, I have a confession to make…..these cute hand warmers were supposed to be gifts our oldest daughter Maddie was going to make for Christmas. But then, more than a week before Christmas, the plague hit our house….hard! Ok, so not really the plague, but pretty bad! We had to drag our sorry selves into the pediatrician’s office on Christmas Eve day (thank you for even being open!) to get some antibiotics so she could at least get some relief for the next day. Poor thing! So, we had a pretty dialed down Christmas this year and took things easy.

But, she still wanted to make some of these cute hand warmers to have around for the rest of winter. And since we’re having a pretty chilly one this year (and these are easy peasy to make), I said “Great idea!” Thanks to my awesome friend Jess for the inspiration to make these since she was teaching her sweet little girl to make larger ones of these for heating pads.

Here’s the video:

You can make these out of just about any fabric, but we chose flannel because it’s super soft in your hands and makes you feel cuddly and warm just to touch it….annnnnnnd we found this really cute fox fabric at Joanns and needed an excuse to use it. These just need 15~30 second in the microwave to get nice and toasty.

Anyways, lemme show ya how easy these are to make:

Supplies:

Flannel fabric scraps ~ enough to cut 2 pieces 3 1/2 x 4″

Matching thread

Rice (I used long grain white rice)

That’s it!

Start by cutting your fabric to 3 1/2 x 4 inches (2 pieces per warmer please). Did you know that most (good) rotary paper cutters can also cut fabric really well? That’s what I use to cut all of my smaller projects! You get a perfectly straight cut every time. I really like the Carl brand best.

Stitch them together right sides together, using 1/4 inch seam allowance. Leave a 1 1/2 inch opening to turn it out and add the rice…..don’t forget to back stitch at the start and end.

Cut each corner and then turn it right side out.

Make a funnel out of paper and fill the fabric 3/4 full of rice. Just don’t use instant and no brown rice….the brown will make it smell weird when it’s warmed up.

Nice and full….

Now, just close that puppy up! You can hand stitch it or quick stitch with your machine….I chose the later since I was making about a million of ‘em with my sweet daughter and laziness ingenuity won out. Pin the sides together to keep them from slipping apart.

All done! Look how cute these are! And so handy! (get it? cuz they’re hand warmers?)

They are super fast and easy to whip up….we made about a dozen, in 45 mins (minus the 17 times we had to stop to do “mom” things).

We made some out of different patterns for variety.

Tie a pair up with twine for warm and cuddly gifts for your friends.

*How to use these?….Throw them in the microwave for 15~30 seconds and then tuck ‘em in your mittens or coat pockets. Now you’re ready to brave the cold!

*You can also keep some in the freezer for those little ouchies….these are great for those!

These are really easy peasy to whip up and a super easy project for your kiddos to help with or to learn to sew with.

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Emily McDonald is the owner of Not So Idle Hands and lives in Colorado with her hot hubby and 3 cute daughters. When she's not battling ADHD, Fibro, or Migraines she loves to be downstairs playing with all her pretty crafty things making fun stuff. She also runs an awesome Etsy Shop by the same name where she gets to sell shiny supplies to make pretty stuff {check it out!}.